TEENS, Inc. Leadership Lab, Summer - 2017 Information and Registration Dear Parents / Guardians and TEENS, Inc. Youth, The TEENS, Inc. Leadership Retreat is an introduction to thriving in the wilderness. Extensive prior experience is not necessary but a desire to push boundaries and some experience in the outdoors is preferable. The aim of the Leadership Retreat is for students to take ownership of their own experience and we will put them in leadership situations where they will be making decisions for themselves and the group all while having the support of experienced instructors to facilitate the experience and manage group safety. Two TEENS, Inc. Staff will be facilitating and instructing the trip. Ryan Cummings, TEENS, Inc. Outdoor Leadership Director, as well as program assistant Andrea Bianchi. Ryan is certified by the American Mountain Guides Association as a Single Pitch Climbing Instructor and both instructors have their Wilderness First Responder certifications with years of experience leading groups in the outdoors. Students can expect curriculum beyond technical skills and will be encouraged to use communication skills as a group. Every evening we will have meetings as a group to discuss important topics and process the day. Tuition is based on a sliding scale. Please see the tuition section in this packet. Fees paid cover a portion of the cost of food, gas, equipment purchased, permits, and staff time. The majority of these costs are covered by grants and individual donations. Cost will never be a factor in a student being able to attend. Scholarships are available in many capacities. Please contact if payment is a concern or if you feel you can sponsor another student s trip. Please review all the information provided and complete the registration and safety forms. Take your time reviewing the packet in its entirety. If you still have questions remaining, please feel to call. We will be holding a parent meeting on July 5 th, at 6pm for all families whose teens are attending the trip. This is for families to gain more information about the trip and meet the staff that will be facilitating. Students are also encouraged to attend this meeting. 1
Itinerary: TEENS, Inc. Leadership Lab - July 10 th - 16 th, 2017 Participants aged 16 and above Wednesday July 5 th 6 PM Parents Meeting Thursday July 6 th 12:00-4:00 Meet at TEENS, Inc. and then head up to gear storage at the Nederland Community center for gear check and issue. This is mandatory for all students. Monday July 10 th Travel Day Meeting at 8am at TEENS, Inc. to leave for trip Drive to Gunnison Colorado Arrive and set-up camp, go for a short hike and do some activities together as a group. Tuesday July 11 th Climbing The next two days our time will be spent rock climbing. Students will learn technical skills along with physical technique. We will push minds and bodies while motivating one another to achieve our individual goals. On the leadership lab we will be focusing on students having a major role in the set-up of climbs and managing the safety of their own experience. We aim as instructors to be observers by the third day with students running the show!!! Wednesday July 12 th Climbing Climbing in the AM, Preparing for the backcountry experience PM Packing lesson for backpacking. LNT and backcountry campsite lessons Thursday July 13th- Backpacking For the next 3 days we will head into the Wilderness to explore our surroundings and our minds. We will be back-country camping every night and carrying our belongings on our backs. 2
Friday July 14th Backpacking Curriculum that we focus on during backpacking includes; navigation, weather, back-country living skills, group safety, leadership, communication and personal challenge. Saturday July 15th Backpacking Our students will be learning all the critical skills for navigation and camping in the back country leading us to our campsite and destinations every day. Sunday, July 16th - Home! After a short hike out of the backcountry, we will be driving back to Nederland on the last day after the trip. After cleaning our equipment and vehicles students will be ready to go by 5pm. Weather and locations: The Gunnison area is fairly similar to our local climate and environment. During the Summer months there is always a possibility of thunderstorms which can at times produce heavy rain, high winds and lightning. Because of this potential for inclement weather, we will be prepared with all the necessary clothing and equipment to be safe, warm and dry during this trip. As with any outdoor environment we cannot control the weather and will have to be flexible and adapt to whatever Mother Nature throws at us. That said, weather can make conditions less than desirable and participants must be willing to stay positive and make the best of every situation. Hopefully this will not be an issue. In terms of the topography the high peaks and large valleys merge into a beautiful landscape filled with vast Aspen Groves and brilliant geologic formation including massive granite pinnacles shaped like castles. Bordering the massive Black Canyon of the Gunnison this area is full of amazing geologic formations and a fascinating ecological diversity. Equipment, water and food: TEENS, Inc. can provide all technical equipment (tents, camping gear, sleeping bags), and will purchase all the food. Our group will be expected to come prepared with clothing appropriate for our activities; the equipment list required for this trip is attached. No worries if you do not have all the items needed for the trip as we are able to provide most of them for you. When backpacking we are only able to bring as much food as we can carry. As such we will only bring what we absolutely need. The food will be simple backpacking style foods such as granola, oatmeal, PB&J, summer sausage, cheese, granola bars, trail mix, rice, beans, cheese and some pre-made dehydrated meals. In addition we will have some fresh veggies for the first couple days as well as some extra treats such as chocolate, marshmallows, and snickers. 3 *We supply all food- students may NOT bring snacks or any food on the trip.* They can bring money and will be allowed to buy snacks when we stop for gas.
Behavior and expectations: We anticipate all our students will have an excellent time, live up to expectations and get as much out of the experience as possible. We want to have lots of fun and challenge ourselves to learn new skills, while working as a team and getting to experience new places. Our expectation is that students will push themselves to their personal limits, be motivated to learn new skills, and will be open to group development and community building. Although fun is a likely outcome, sometimes these experiences may be emotionally or physically challenging. We will be hiking over some strenuous passes and will have to stick together as a group and help one another persevere through personal challenge. Undesirable weather conditions may cause rapid changes to itinerary and unpleasant conditions. In addition we will be sharing these public lands with a variety of other user groups and may experience some user related impacts. We may get wet, cold, hungry, tired and exhausted. However, our hope is students choose to persevere in these experiences with a positive attitude and help their group members through these challenges as well. Our non-negotiable behaviors include: bringing or using alcohol, drugs and tobacco, violence of any form, abusive language or behavior, bringing or using electronic devices, bringing or using weapons, and sexual contact of any kind, including PDA. For all of these behaviors we will have serious discussions about whether the participant involved will be able to remain on our trip. If a serious breach of these expectations is made students will be picked up within 6-8 hours by family members, or evacuated by TEENS, Inc. staff members at a cost of $400 to the family. This will also result in the loss of tuition and any potential references for resume. We do not anticipate that we will encounter any of these non-negotiable behaviors, and our students will have no problems living up to our expectations. Risk Tolerance and Risk Management As with all outdoor endeavors the activities facilitated during TEENS, Inc. Leadership Lab have inherent risks associated with engaging in these activities. With this in mind TEENS, Inc. staff has adopted a risk management strategy focused on specific site management which helps to identify and manage individual risks associated with each giving site where these activities are facilitated. However, due to the nature of some of the risks associated with outdoor activities (weather, other users, and wild animals) we cannot guarantee that we will be able to foresee or alleviate all potential hazards. With this in mind TEENS, Inc. staff may choose at any point to stop or discontinue any activities at any given time if they feel that the risk of an accident, injury or potential harm is too great or outweigh the potential benefits. For more information concerning these specific risks please review the Liability and Assumption of Risk Waiver in detail and make sure you are completely comfortable and understand these risks. For further question please contact Ryan Cummings the Outdoor Leadership Director at 303-258-3821 ex.13 or by email at Ryan@teensinc.org 4
Communication and Emergency Management TEENS, Inc. Staff will be carrying a Satellite Phone at all time during this trip and both Instructors are certified Wilderness First Responders and trained in emergency response. There will be no contact with families while we are away. Families can work with the assumption that no news is good news. We will call on the last day to let people know we are safe and confirm pick-up time. If a family emergency arises, parents / guardians are to contact Stephen LeFaiver or Alisa Musser at (303) 258-3821. TEENS, Inc. emergency and inquiries contact telephone numbers: TEENS, Inc. Main Number: (303) 258-3821 After Hours Emergency number while students are away; (303) 883-4881 5
Equipment and Gear This is a complete list of personal gear students need to have on the trip. We understand most families don t have all this gear at home so we can provide most of the major items. If the item has a next to it, TEENS, Inc. can provide it. We have an extensive supply of gear for students to use and we encourage students to use our high quality gear. All of your packed items must fit into one duffel or large bag. We have limited packing room! Personal Clothing: All these items need to be synthetic, fleece or wool. No cotton at all please T-Shirts x4 Rain Jacket and Pants Shorts x 2- Synthetic like basketball shorts Synthetic/wool Long Underwear top Synthetic/wool Long Underwear leggings Warm Fleece Jacket x 2 Warm Fleece Pants Wooly Hat/or fleece Underwear Brimmed Hat Hiking Pants Warm Gloves 3 pairs of wool socks Swimsuit Personal Equipment: Hiking Boots Camp Shoes (Lightweight, closed toed shoes. Not sandals or flip flops) Large backpacking pack Day hiking pack Sleeping Pad Head Lamp/flash light Plastic Bowl/Cup/Spoon 3 large water bottles Sunglasses Sleeping Bag Twenty degrees or warmer, no heavy cotton style bags Other: Any personal medications and inhalers Toothbrush/toothpaste Sun Screen Camera (optional) Journal/pen Book (optional) Packing Ideas and tips: You may bring a cotton t-shirt to hike in when it is hot or wear to bed but the majority of you gear will not be allowed to be cotton because it can hold moisture and make you really cold. This means: No jeans, No cotton socks, No cotton hoodies. Keep everything as light as possible! EG: small plastic fork and Tupperware (not metal or glass), no extra clothes or toiletries, small flashlight or headlamp. NO ELECTRONICs, TOBACCO/VAPES, DRUGS, ALCOHOL, WEAPONS, OR HUNTING KNIVES! 6
7 Registration
Please Register by june 20 th, 2016. Once you have submitted your registration we will contact you with a confirmation of your trip and provide additional safety forms for you to complete. On the following pages there are questions to gain some insight into your personality and why you are interested in the TEENS, Inc. Leadership Lab. If we receive a high volume of applicants there will be a selection process for registration and our groups are limited to 8 students. Please take the time to fill out the questionnaire in its entirety. Firstly please tell us a little about yourself; how would you describe yourself and what do you like to do in your spare time? What is your past experience with outdoor adventure activities, and why would you like to participate in our Summer Leadership Lab? Our program is limited to eight participants. So please take the time to share with us why you think you will be a valuable member of our team? 8
Our program may have challenging moments where you are pushed outside of your comfort zone physically and emotionally. As a group you may be wet, cold, tired or hungry and have to motivate each other. How do you think you will deal with these challenges? Anything else you would like us to know about, or any questions you would like us to answer? Student Signature 9
TEENS, Inc. Outdoor Leadership Program Tuition Leadership Lab Pricing scale- 10 Students, 12 days Tuitio n Number of people in your family Rate 2 3 4 5 6 7 $550 $51,201+ $57,601+ $64,001+ $69,101+ $74,251+ $79,351+ $350 $35,651-51,200 $40,101-57,600 $44,551-64,000 $48,101-69,100 $51,701-74,2 50 $55,251-79,3 50 $150 $21,401-35,650 $24,101-40,100 $26,751-44,550 $28,901-48,100 $31,051-51,7 00 $33,151-55,2 50 $60 $21,400 or less $24,100 or less $26,750 or less $28,900 or less $31,050 or less $33,150 or less Tuition for all our outdoor programs is on a sliding scale based on family income. Our programs are heavily subsidized by grants and are still a third of the cost of other outdoor programs for teens in Colorado. We would love to make our programs free, however to serve as many students as possible and support those that do need free programming we have to include payment in some form. Please see the tuition scale below; based on your family income and how many people in your family you will find the cost you need to pay for your teen to attend our program. Please include a copy of your most recent family federal tax return that shows your annual income. We understand that your taxes do not always show your true financial situation. Please share with us information about why you may need further assistance to pay a lower amount for the program. No family will be turned away for financial reasons and there are always additional scholarships available. (Use an additional sheet if necessary). We appreciate your support of TEENS, Inc. and the youth we serve. 10